Clean Water Act Anniversary Reminds Us Of Gains

EDITORIAL

December 20, 2012

"The sewage was reported to be six inches thick and black as ink. The water itself was turgid and dark, with a viscous quality created by the mountains of sludge poured into its depths." That dismal description, fortunately, was not of a river in Connecticut, but of the 19th-century Thames River in London, described by author Peter Ackroyd in his "Thames: The Biography."

But over the years, Connecticut's rivers have seen more than their share of pollution, whether from the effluent of factories, the dumping of sewage or the runoff of pesticides and fertilizers. According to the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency, in the 1960s the official state water-quality classification of the Connecticut was this: "Suitable for transportation of sewage and industrial waste." What a sorry state of affairs.

Starting 40 years ago, that all began to turn around. The federal Clean Water Act, which forbade discharge of pollutants into navigable waters without a permit, was passed in 1972. It was partly modeled on Connecticut's own Clean Water Act, enacted five years earlier, which was the first major step in addressing years — indeed, centuries — of water-quality degradation. It is a law that continues to benefit everyone today.

Once-Lifeless Rivers

The past four decades have seen much progress in cleaning the state's rivers. According to the Housatonic Valley Association, from 1900 to 1976 the Naugatuck River was "essentially lifeless and ranked among the most polluted rivers in the nation." Today, it is home to more than 40 species of fish and is classified by the state as a Trophy Trout Stream, as are the Natchaug River, the Pequonnock River, the Salmon River and others.

Progress has been steady, but not without a few bumps. Five years ago, for instance, a Courant investigation found that 17 of the 35 companies discharging chemical toxins into the state's rivers did so under expired permits, some of them 10 years out of date. Since then, the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection has taken steps to strengthen permitting and enforcement.

And the water is getting cleaner here region by region, as well.

Last month, voters in eight Greater Hartford towns that belong to the Metropolitan District Commission approved funding for an $800 million project to fix aging storm and sanitary sewers to reduce the amount of raw sewage that enters the region's rivers and streams. The Connecticut River Watershed Council estimates that the initiative will prevent more than 1 billion gallons of sewage from entering the Connecticut and Park rivers every year.

Yet To Do

Much has been accomplished in the four decades of the Clean Water Act. But much remains to be done. Some areas of particular concern are:

•Incremental pollution caused not just by factories but by ordinary citizens: urban runoff, lawn fertilizers, nitrogen and phosphorus, accidental leaks and spills, and the like. So-called "end-of-pipe" pollution caused by manufacturing has largely been addressed, though not completely stopped. Now, says the DEEP, it's time for every citizen, every community and the state to do their parts. The agency is right.

•Storm runoff, especially as it interacts with sanitary waste. The MDC towns' vote in November was a good start. Now many other communities need to address this vital issue. Not a few of the state's sanitary sewers are at least 100 years old, and can leak into nearby storm sewers.

•Pharmaceutical products, and not just old prescriptions flushed down the toilet. Residue from many ordinary drugs — birth control pills, for example — can pass through the body and be handled by waste treatment plants, yet still pollute waters downstream.

All are challenges, certainly. But 40 years' worth of success from the Clean Water Act has shown that a concentrated effort to stop pollution can be effective. When we put our minds to it, we can clean up our act — and our water.